Metallurgical furnace.



U. WEDGE.

METALLURGICAL FURNACE.

APPLLCATION FILED ocT. 22. 1913. RENEWED JULY 1, 1915.

1 1 62,534, Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

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METALLURGICAL FURNACE. APPHCATION FILED OCT. 22. I913. RENEWED JULY 1. I915.

$62,534. L Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

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V Specification of Letters Fatent."

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Application filed October 22, 1913, Serial no. reacts. Renewed July 1, 1915. Serial no. sneer,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, UTLEY WEDGE, a citiore or other material in powdered, granular,

or lumpy form (hereinafter, for convenience, referred to simply as ore V) before feeding the same into the initial working chamber of a roasting or other metallurgical furnace.

This object I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawing which illustrates the application ofmy invention to a well known type ofv furnace, Figure 1 being a vertical section of suflicient ofthe furnace to illustrate the application of my invention thereto, and Fig. 2 being a horizontal section'on the'line aw, Fig. 1.

a In the drawing, 1 represents the outer casing of the furnace, 2 the successive hearths thereof, and 2 the successive working chambers, six of the latter being shown in the present instance,-although the furnace may be provided with more or less than this numher if desired. The furnace has a central of this air except through its intended channels, while still permittingfree rotation of the shaft. Air" is supplied by thechamher 7 to rabble arms 6 contained in the various working chambers of the furnace and is circulated through said arms so as to prevent overheating of thesame. The drawing shows these rabble arms in the top and bottom chambers of the furnace and also shows the inner'ends of rabble arms in a couple of the intermediate chambers, the rabble arms being omitted from the remaining chambers in order to simplify the illustration. Any desired means for effecting circulation of the air through the rabble arms may be employed, the means adopted in the present instance being a horizontal longitudinal partition extending part way throughout the length ofthe arm and serving to divide the chamber within the latter into upper and lower passages communicating with each other at the outer portion of the arm,;the inner end of the lower passage receiving the air and the inner end of the upper passage discharging it. That portion of the shaft 3 which pro ects above the top of the furnace is provided with a number of promoting arms 11 communicating at their .innercends with segmental boxes 10 on the inner side of the shaft, these boxes 10 being in communication with the air supply chamber 7 through pipes 9 each of which also serves to direct the air in its flow from the chamber 7 to the box 10 through one or more of the rabble arms 6, both of these methods of construction being illustrated in Fig. 1

and either or both of them being employed in practice as may be found most desirable. The arms 11 are located above the drying floor 12 on the roof of the furnace and, if desired, either or all of said armsmay be provided with rabbles or other means for stirring the ore as they travel over "said floor.

Each arm is provided with suitable means, preferably perforations in its under side, through which air can escape'so as to be projected downwardly toward the drying floor, In passing through the rabble arms in the working chambers of the furnace the air becomes highly, heated and consequently, when it is discharged downwardly from the arms 11 onto the wet or green ore lying upon the drying hearth 12 at the top ofthe furnace, it will have the efiectof rapidly drying said ore and therebyinsuring the free feeding of the ore over the drying hearth, a result which is difficult'of accomplishment when the ore is wet, as for instance when it has been subjected to a wet concentration or washing operation before being fed to the furnace. The action of the heated air upon the ore may also be sutiicient to preheat said ore to any desired degree before the introduction of the ore into the furnacev Although I prefer, in carrying out my invention, that the hollow air-supplying arms 11 shall also constitute rabble arms for stirring and feeding the ore upon the drying hearth said rabble arms may, if desired,

alternate with the arms 11 around the shaft 3, as for instance in the positions indicated by the dotted lines a: in Fig. 2, and although I prefer to heat the air supply for the arms 11 by firstpassing-it through rabble arms contained in'working chambersof the fur-' naceother means for heating the air may be adopted without departing from the main feature of my invention.

The drying hearth 12 may be located in any desired position at the top of the furnace although I prefer tolocate it on the roof of the uppermost working chamber 2,

since, in that case the ore is heated not-onlyfrom above, by the hot air from the arms 12,

but also from below by the heat 'ofsaid I nace having a series of working chambers.

therein and a drying hearth at thetop, a rotatable shaft having hollow rabble arms in said working chambers, and a projecting hollow arm above the drying hearth, means for supplying air to and circulating it through the hollow rabble arms of the workingchambers, means for conveying the air thus heated in its passage through said rabble arms to the hollow arm above the drying hearth, and means for discharging saidheated air from said hollow arm downwardly into contact with the ore on the dryinghearth.

3.. The combination of a metallurgical furnace having a series of workingchambers therein and a drying hearth at the top, a central shaft having hollow rabble arms contained in said working chambers, and a hollow arm projecting above the drying hearth and having downwardly discharging openingstherein, a casing carried by the shaft and containing a chamber which com-,

municates with the hollow arm above the drying hearth, separate communications between said chamber and the hollow rabble arms, and means for causing a flow .of air through said rabble arms and their separate communications to the hollow arm above the drying hearth and downwardly from said arms into the mass of ore on the drying hearth.

' 4. The combination of a metallurgical furnace having a series of working chambers therein, and drying hearth at the top, a rotatable shaft having hollow rabble arms in said working chambers, and a hollow arm projecting over the drying hearth and having openings in its under side, a fixed casing surrounding the lower portion of thelrotating shaft and sealed against the escape of air between the same and said rotating shaft, means for introducing air into said casing, and means for conveving said air to and through the hollow rabble arms, and thence to. the hollow arm above the drying hearth.

5. The combination of a metallurgical furnace having a series of working chambers thereinand'a drying hearth at the top, arotatable shaft in said furnace provided with projecting hollow rabble arms'in said working chambers, and a hollow arm above the drying hearth, said latter arm having openings-in the bottom of the same, ducts carried by the rotatin shaft and communicating with the hol ow rabble arms, a fixed casing surrounding the lower portion of the shaft and containing a chamber which is incommunication with said ducts, means for introducing air into said casing, and traps for preventing escape of the air from the casing except through said ducts.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

UTLEY WEDGE. Witnesses:

KATE A. BEADLE, HAMILTON D. TURNER. 

